stranger danger

[rainbabies]

what do you tell your kids?

we live in a neighborhood now, so sometimes a rude person will feel the need to walk thru the yard.

for a while now, when the opportunity presents, i talk to the babes about strangers. how some people are nice, and there are some that are not. that some people want to take you away...can hurt you....etc.

this morning..a guy i have not seen before (small neighborhood, dead end street) walked thru the back yard, under the deck, thru my babes toys and swings. gross.gross.gross guy. i know you can't judge a book by it's cover...the guy just gave me major creeps. he gave me a weird look...i gave him a dirty one. dd#2 says, who's that man, mommy!!!??? (really loud) and i got the dog to bark. alot.

the babes are only allowed in the back yard. i can hear them and see him. i just have this terrible fear of something happening. (normal.yes) but i don't want to freak out the babes. i talked to ds about it after school...just now....my outdoor boy now says, "i will just stay inside"
:anyolne:

[Flynn]

Re: stranger danger

We got the dvd "The Safe Side" from the library.

I started talking to the kids about strangers and they asked too many great questions. :| I couldn't answer them all without scaring the crap out of them so we used the dvd.

It worked. We have common language now that makes sense and isn't scary.

[alison]

Re: stranger danger

Oh man, Sylvia! I hope he was a meter-reader or something. Oh man....

[rainbabies]

Re: stranger danger

thanks flynn. i know that ds is scared..and now i feel terrible.

alison, SO NOT the meter reader. water and elec are in the front. this guy was dirty, greasy, had long stringy hair, a huge gut, gross dirty clothes...and did not look like he had any business in this neighborhood. **

[Flynn]

Re: stranger danger

thanks flynn. i know that ds is scared..and now i feel terrible.

alison, SO NOT the meter reader. water and elec are in the front. this guy was dirty, greasy, had long stringy hair, a huge gut, gross dirty clothes...and did not look like he had any business in this neighborhood. **

I would have freaked out.

...loving my fenced in backyard right now!!!!!!!!

Re: stranger danger

I think it is also important for them to know that sometimes people with bad intentions can be really nice (help me find my dog, candy offers, that sort of thing).

Without it being too much a PITA, is it possible to put up some temporary fencing? Maybe that would make both of you feel better.

[MDPhDWife]

Re: stranger danger

I think it is also important for them to know that sometimes people with bad intentions can be really nice (help me find my dog, candy offers, that sort of thing).

Without it being too much a PITA, is it possible to put up some temporary fencing? Maybe that would make both of you feel better.

I was going to suggest the same thing with the fence. I realize it's a regional thing, but I've never lived anywhere that didn't have fenced backyards. That would creep me out too.

[alison]

Re: stranger danger

My parents had code words and if the guy/gal didn't say them, then we were to stay put "no matter what!" This of course got my parents into a bit of a bind, when I was supposed to be picked up from school by a family friend. She didn't know the word, my teacher had a note saying I was allowed to leave with that person, and.... I wouldn't move until I got to talk to my mom.

[HouseofWool]

Re: stranger danger

With DS being nearly 6, we've started to let him play outside with the neighbor kids without an adult. (Very safe neighborhood, all the windows are open so we can hear the kids etc.) This is my biggest fear.

As for the code words, I remember once in kindergarden, my uncle came to pick me up from school. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem, but he had just gotten out of Army serving in Germany. I had no clue who he was and refused to go anywhere with him. My mom had to come get me too. At least the lesson stuck!

Re: stranger danger

That would have freaked me out, too. I would have probably called the cops. We have a park two homes down from us and there was a very strange couple there a few weeks ago and I called the cops. They came and issued her a ticket for trespassing and public intox.